Ruger M77 tang safety .280 Remington

Acronin

New member
I have a friend of the families that's selling some of his guns. He had a sister who was able to get guns from JC penny's (when the sold guns) for cheap. He has several that he didn't hunt with and barely shot. One I'm interested in is his Ruger M77 tang safety chambered in .280.

I've always been curious about the .280 Rem as an all purpose round from antelope to Elk. I think it'll be good. What I don't know is anything about these rifles. It's not the boat paddle. It's the wood stock with rubber recoil pad. GREAT shape.

I've heard they can be finicky or in some cases just plain not an accurate rifle. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Andy
 
I've always said Rugers are a roll of the dice, but I can say I've had more good one than bad. I have a tang safety in 220 Swift that shoots real good. I would think the 280 will probably shoot good to. At least good enough for Antelope and Elk.
 
The original M77's had Douglas air gauged barrels and were very accurate. I had one of those early rifles in .308 that was a really well built and consistently accurate rifle. Then Ruger began to outsource to various bidders and it was a gamble what sorta accuracy you could expect. It was said that Ruger bought the very best $12 barrel on the market. And they shot like a $12 barrel. That phase ended when Ruger began to manufacture their own barrels. Generally today's Rugers are good shooters.
 
.280 is an excellent all around cartridge with a little flatter trajectory than .30-06 and a little less recoil. You can expect essentially the same performance as a 30-06 will give you.

As far as the gun, like GC said, the really early ones had Douglas barrels on them and were great shooters. The later Wilson barrels were good but the in between was not. IIRC they stopped using Douglas around 1973 and it wasnt until the late 80's when the Wilsons started to be decent. That wouldnt keep me from buying it, especially if the price is good. That caliber, in good shape would bring $700 in my area if not more. I say go for it and try it. Worst come to worse, rebarrel it and bed it.
 
Originally Posted By: Zastava223rem.280 is an excellent all around cartridge with a little flatter trajectory than .30-06 and a little less recoil. You can expect essentially the same performance as a 30-06 will give you.

As far as the gun, like GC said, the really early ones had Douglas barrels on them and were great shooters. The later Wilson barrels were good but the in between was not. IIRC they stopped using Douglas around 1973 and it wasnt until the late 80's when the Wilsons started to be decent. That wouldnt keep me from buying it, especially if the price is good. That caliber, in good shape would bring $700 in my area if not more. I say go for it and try it. Worst come to worse, rebarrel it and bed it.

Thays what my thoughts were too. The price tag is $500 last I talked to him...sound like if it doesn't shoot I could probably get my money back selling it.
 
Great info fellas. This friend is in his early 80s so I feel he bought this rifle.in late 60s or early 70s.

I think if he still wants to sell it I'll buy it.
 
I got one in 270. I bought in 1977. It will never be for sale by me. Has been extremely accurate for me for a hunting rifle. I just like it, the Mauser type action the looks of it etc
 


My Ruger M77 220Swift and 338 win mag are pre-1974. What year is your 280?
I have been told the barrel makers changed in 1974.
The 280 rem is a great round. You will be very happy.
 
That I don't know. I think I'm just going to roll the dice on it. I haven't owned a rifle I couldn't get to shoot.

It was bought by a friend of my dad's at an estate action of an old neighbor of his. The old neighbor said he was going to take it hunting and shoot it someday but never did. It came with the two original box of Winchester ammo with it and 4 rounds are missing. The friend who bought it said he shot the 4 rounds and it's been in the safe ever since. There's a good chance it is an older pre 1974 model.
 
If it don't shoot, there are other options rather than selling it. Last time I checked, Douglas will rebarrel for $500. That's with their top tier barrel. Not a bad price and it would make a shooter out of it.
 
Originally Posted By: ToddNEyou could just let me buy it and i'll take all the risk! I don't think you can go wrong on that deal

Haha, I decided to buy it you guys. I appreciate the information.

Psycodogg, that's a great point. If I did that I'd probably have them make it an Ackley. I may ream it out myself anyway if it doesn't shoot and the Freebore is too long.
 
Two of the few rifles I’ve traded and really regretted was a river tang safety in 270 win and another was a Winchester featherweight in 280 rem.
 
Originally Posted By: GCThe original M77's had Douglas air gauged barrels and were very accurate. I had one of those early rifles in .308 that was a really well built and consistently accurate rifle. Then Ruger began to outsource to various bidders and it was a gamble what sorta accuracy you could expect. It was said that Ruger bought the very best $12 barrel on the market. And they shot like a $12 barrel. That phase ended when Ruger began to manufacture their own barrels. Generally today's Rugers are good shooters.

+1
 
At one point in time, it was widely reported that Ruger was paying $3 per barrel from outside vendors.

Now that Ruger is making their own barrels in house, like has been said, accuracy from a Model 77 rifle is generally very good.
 
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